It would be easy to have a positive world view if everyone lived in paradise. It would be easy to have a positive world view if every part of the world was beautiful, if everyone was always treated with love & respect& if everyone was given all they needto be happy & live forever.

If scientists are correct, the earth started with no animal or plant life. Life on our planet has had to struggle to
exist & to develop into higher forms. Life has always been a challenge & a series of overcoming problems.

Evils such as illness, death,
pain, unhappiness, cruelty & destruction have been part of each generation. Even people who seem to have it all, in reality,
have also experienced more pain, unhappiness & hardship than others may ever see.

Negative life experiences can lead to a negative philosophy of life & pervasive anxiety & depression. My client was in her early 30's & had already led a life filled with tragic events. She grew up in a small
Midwestern town exposed to "all American values"; except, her parents were both alcoholics & hid their secret well.

On the surface her family
appeared normal. Yet behind closed doors she had to take care of her younger bother & herintoxicated parents.

Besides her drug dependence, she was physically, sexually & verballyabused for several years. Her views of herself & the world grew very dark. She felt like she was in hell. There
seemed to be no way out & suicide was a real option.

Then she gave birth to her daughter.
Although she had almost given up on herself, she decided that she wanted her daughter to get out of this terrible mess. So
she went to Narcotics Anonymous & began a 12-step program to become drug & alcohol free.

She has now been in recovery for more than 8 years & turned her life around. She began supporting herself & her daughter, went back to college, finished a bachelor's degree & is now doing very well
in a graduate social work program.

She has immersed herself in
self-development of all kinds. Besides Narcotics Anonymous she has taken many classes, read many self-help books & received counseling. Thinking positively has been a foundation of her new life.

When I met her in a class I taught, I was impressed by her openness, her thirst for learning & her ability to interpret difficult situations positively. These characteristics have been the secrets to her recovery & success. However, it hasn't been easy.

After the class, she came in forcounseling. Whenever she heard of gangs, drugs, or violence in our area, she would feel a sense of terror. She couldn't understand it. Her life was going so well, how could she still have flashbacks of these feelings.

We explored her underlying
beliefs & we discovered that a part of her still believedthat the negative, dark forces of the world are "winning" & that the positive forces are "just struggling to survive."

Instead of exploring & confronting her deeper world view, she often tried to instantly substitute positivethoughts as band-aids. She'd tell herself something like, "Everything will be ok, it's silly to worry about this." Her band-aid therapy
helped her feel better temporarily, but didn't change the source of the negativethoughts.

i.e., one of the key underlyingbeliefs we discovered was that there were so many "bad guys" that they were overwhelming the "good guys" of the world. When we explored her "worst possible scenario," we found a feared image of the world eventually being overrun with drug addicts & violence.

I asked her to look at her beliefs about that image & the evidence for it. She realized that much of her "evidence" came from the media &
their preference for presenting many morenegative thanpositive stories.

The creative forces are inherent in all life. I questioned her belief that the "world was going to Hell." I suggested that she look at this in a broader historical perspective &
look at the progress that has been made in the past 5,000 years.

I pointed out that within
each cell & within each living organism powerful forces are tenaciously pursuing health & harmony. These inherent forces aren't just in a few "good guys,"
but are part of every one of us.

In addition,
we all have a Higher Self inside - no matter how weak it may be.

When I finished talking, she became animated & excited. She said she knew that what I said was true. She said that as I was talking she thought of her inner city experiences. Her daughter's father & the other people she lived with were hardened, violent
criminals. Most people would believe that they were evil to the core.

But she knew their backgrounds & couldunderstand how abuse by others had empowered their inner, abusive parts. They had developed hardened shells to survive. Yet, she knew them well enough to see that each had a
softer, more caring part. She had seen times when each of these hardened criminals showed vulnerability,empathy, tenderness & love. She said, "I know that if these people have a Higher Self, then everyone does."

She no longer experiences the bolts of fearwhen she reads the morning paper or sees the evening news. She now believes the forces of love & happiness - though gentler - are stronger than the forces of raw power. They're winning the war.

Sometimes we tend to idealize the past & therefore believe the world is going downhill. Sometimes we look at all the unethical, harmful people who have achieved financial
success & power- even world leaders - & think that the "dark forces" are winning the war. However, when you have thesenegative thoughts, consider the creative forces in even the worst of people. Also, consider what Ralph Waldo Emerson (1991) wrote more than 150 years ago,

Things seem to tend downward, to justify despondency,to promote rogues, to defeat the just; and yet by knaves, as by martyrs,the just cause is
carried forward.Although knaves win in every political struggle,although society seems to be delivered overfrom
the hands of one set of criminals into the handsof another set of criminals as fast as the government is changed,and
the march of civilization is a train of felonies,yet the general ends are somehow answered.We see, now, events forced
on, which seem to retard . . .the civility of ages. But the world spirit is a good swimmer,and storms and waves cannot
drown him.. . .throughout history, heaven seems to affect low and poor means.Through toys and atoms,a great and
beneficent tendency irresistibly streams.

As a freshman at Michigan State University, Ryan Beck tends to go out with his friends 5 nights a week, partying
until all hours of the night & answering only to himself.

That changes when he’s home for the holidays. Suddenly, he’s
back under the rule of his parents & must adhere to their rules & curfews.

Beck says the restrictions are oppressive.
“I think they don’t really respect me,” he says of his parents.

Many college students experience this sort
of socialus interruptus when they’re home for the long holiday break. After all, home life is to college life
what college courses are to high school classes: more complex.

Beck’s concern aboutrespect is no surprise to Susan Newman, social psychologist & author of “Nobody’s Baby Now: Reinventing
Your Adult Relationship With Your Mother & Father.” Respect is the main issue & point of contention between parents & their college-age offspring, she says.

A little give & take isneeded from all parties involved, Newman says. “There have to be adjustments made on both sides, particularly
for parents,” she explains. “Parents need to respect& understandthat the person coming home is very different than the person who left 4 months ago.”

Beck feels he doesn’t get that. At
home in Wyandotte, “it’s the same thing as when I was in high school,” he says of dealing with his mother.
“It makes me feel like she doesn’tthink I’m grown up.”

His mother, Debbie, says it’s not
that. “Once you’re 18, you’re an adult & I’m reminded of that every moment of every day,”
she says.

Moreover, she feels a lack of respecton his part & feels Beck puts his parents on the back burner when he comes home,
except in a few notable cases. “If he needs food, money or a car, we'll be the priority,” she says.

According to Newman, Beck & his mother
should sit down & talk thru their differences & come to a series of compromises. “And it can’t be, ‘I’m
on my own now, this is ridiculous’ on the student’s part,” she says.

These conversations can lay the groundwork for what will become the student’s adult relationship with parents. Parents, meanwhile,
should note it may be rocky at first, but over time, patterns change & new roles begin to take form.

In the meantime, parents should recognize & understand their son or daughter “possibly & probably has adopted some habits they’re not going to love as parents,” Newman says. Chief among these is a revised bed time, which could mean going to bed at 2
or 3 a.m. & waking up somewhere in the vicinity of noon.

“It’s a world that parents
don’t relate to & as a parent, you’re going to have to sit back & say, ‘OK, that’s the way
he lives his life now,’ ” Newman says.

A late bedtime is a way of life for Kristina
Robinson, a freshman at the University of Michigan. At school, her lights go out usually around 5 a.m. & that’s
the way she expects to live when she comes home to Oak Park too.

“When I come home & I’m out really late, my mama calls my cell phone to try
& figure out where I am or when I’m coming home & it’s like ‘Mom, I’ll be home when I get
home,’ you know?” Robinson says. “If I was at school, she would never know I was out that late & if
she did, there’s nothing she could do about it. So it’s a little weird.”

Robinson says she also thinks her mother is having a hard time acceptingthat she’s growing up. “She wants it
to be like if I was still in high school & it’s really not like that,” she says. Still, Robinson says she
tries to adjust to life at home because she doesn’t want to spend what little time she gets to see her mother fighting
with her.

The phone has been a major issue for Kristina
Paige, whose parents imposed a phone curfew on her, meaning she couldn’t place or receive phone calls after 10:30 p.m.

“It's hard,” Paige says. “I’m used to doing what I want to do, going
about my business & then when I return home I’m under restrictions, so it’s kind of aggravating.”

Newman sayscontrol over the phone is a constant source of trouble between students & parents. She suggests parents acceptthat while their students are home, the phone is
going to be glued to their child’s ear.

Instead of dealing with the phone curfew,
Paige chooses to spend the majority of her time at her sister, Nicol’s, house. At Nicol’s, Paige can come home
whenever she pleases & talk on the phone all hours of the night. Nicol, 11 years older than Kristina, knows what she is
going thru & likes to act as a buffer between her sister & her parents.

“She kind of gets away & pretends to be at college over at my house,” Nicol says.
“I know she gets frustrated over (at her parent’s
house) & it’s always the same talk that ‘you’re
not mature,’ & she doesn’t want to hear that.” Hence, Nicol provides Kristina - & Kristina’s
friends - sanctuary from the fallout of holiday home clash.

Kristina’s father, Phillip, wishes
she'd stick around the house more while she’s home. But he knows its a part of her growing up & leaving the nest.
“I’m a parent that’s trying to teach her & school her, that’s all I can do,” he says. “And
so far, she’s doing pretty good.”

While at home, students should assume old
responsibilities& take on some new ones, as well, to show they’re still an important part of the family but they have an increased role as well, Newman says.

That means doing
old chores like setting the table & taking out the garbage, as well as doing their own laundry, if they hadn’t before.

“It’s reassuring in a back
door way to know when you come home you haven’t been displaced & that you’re still a part of the family,”
Newman says. “The student need to know it’s not a case of out-of-sight out-of-mind & they still do have a significant role in
this family.”

“I know they do it because they love me & they care about me & because they can’t watch me (up at school) & they try & make
up for it when I’m home,” he says. “I know they’re just keeping a watchful eye out.”

Peer
Acceptance& Children's Behavior

Children's understanding of emotional expressions & situations has been found to relate to how well peers like or dislike them.

A study at George Mason University suggests that well-liked children are better able than other children to read &
respond to peers' emotions.

Disliked children may misinterpret peers' emotions, leading to difficult interactions & eventual rejection by peers.

In general, positive behaviors, such as cooperation, are associated with being accepted by peers & antisocial behaviors, such as aggression, are associated with being rejected. This is confirmed by recent studies identifying characteristics & behaviors related to being liked or disliked by peers.

Good communication is a skill important to the continuation of social play. Well-liked children appear to communicate better than disliked children.

In a study at the Univ. of Texas, well-liked children were more likely than others to be clear in direct communications
by saying the other child's name, establishing eye contact, or touching the child they intended to address.

Well-liked children more often replied appropriately to children who spoke to them, rather than ignoring the speaker, changing the subject, or saying something irrelevant.

While well-liked children weren't any less prone toreject peers' communications toward them, they were more likely to offer a reason for the rejection or suggest alternatives.

e.g., in rejecting a peer's suggestion, "let's pretend we're hiding from the witch," a well-liked child was more likely to say,
"no, we played that yesterday," or, "no, let's be robbers instead," rather than just saying, "no."

Peer Acceptance & Social Reputation

It's important to recognize the role of the peer group in maintaining a child's level of social acceptance. Once a child has established a reputation among peers
either as someone with whom it's fun to play or as someone with whom joint play isunpleasantordissatisfying, this reputation may influence the way other children perceive the child's
later behavior.

If a negative reputation is developed, helping the child become acceptedmay require more than a change in the child's behavior; it may also be necessary to point out to the other children when the child's behavior
changes & to guide them to respond to the child in positive ways.

How Can Teachers
& Other Adults Help?

Studies such as those mentioned above suggest importantelements to be considered by those who wish to understand why a particular child is unpopular &need to decide what to do to help that child gain social acceptance. To assist a disliked child in gaining acceptance, careful, informed observation isneeded.

Observe behavior & note:

Does the child have greatersuccess interacting with 1 or 2 peers than with larger groups?

Does the child often seem to misinterpret the apparent intentions & emotional cues of other children?

When rejecting a playmate's suggestion, does the child provide a reason or an alternative idea?

Do classmates consistently rebuff or ignore the child's attempts to engage in play, even when the child is using strategies that should work?

There's no recipe for facilitating acceptance.
To help a child, it's essential to identify the child's areas of difficulty.

Strategies To Consider

Adults who work with groups of children may feel frustrated in their attempts to help a child achieve social acceptance.

Many approaches can be adapted to particular situations &needs of individual children. Specialplay activities can be arranged, such as grouping children who lack social skills
with those who are socially competent & will thus provide examples for learning effective skills.

Planning special play sessions with a younger child may help the socially isolated child. Research reports that socially isolated preschoolers exposed to play sessions with pairs of younger children eventually become more socially involved
in the class than doisolated children who play with children of their own age.

The decision to pair a child with a younger or more socially skilled child should depend on whether the child's socially isolation is due to ineffective social skills or lack of confidence.

Sometimes disliked children behave aggressively because they don't know how to resolve conflicts. Planned activities can help children generate alternative solutions to difficult social situations.

Skits, puppet shows, or group discussions that present hypothetical situations can encourage a wide range of ideas for potential solutions. Such methods can increase the number of appropriate strategies,
such as taking turns or sharing, that are available to the children.

However, to effectively implement such newly learned strategies in the classroom, children must be given on-the-spot
guidance when real conflict situations occur. To help with conflictresolution, the adult can encourage the children involved to voice their perspectives, generate potential solutions & jointly decide on &
implement a mutually acceptable solution.

When a child has difficulty entering ongoing play, an adult can steer the child toward smaller or more accepting groups, or can structure the environment to include inviting
spaces for private small group or one-on-one play.

A loft, a tent, or a large empty box might make an inviting space. When a child asks, "Can I play?" the teacher can
guide the child in observing the ongoing play, figuring out the group's theme & purpose & thinking of a role to play or of ways to contribute to the group.

On-the-spot guidance by adults can facilitate communication, which contributes to successful play. A child who rejects playmates' ideas without offering explanations or alternatives could be told, "Ben I don'tthink Tom understands why you don't want to play store. Can you tell him why?" or "Can you tell him what else you could do together?"

Adisliked child having difficulty reading others' emotional cues
might be given a suggestion - "Look at Mary's face. Do you think she likes it when you poke her?"

In addition to using techniques that focus on the disliked child, adults may need to translate for the peer group the unpopular child's behavior & apparentintentions.

e.g., an adult might say, Thomas wants to play with you. If you don't need another father, who could he be instead?" However, when intervention focuses on the peer group, adults shouldn't
force peers to play with a disliked child.

The teacher's attempts to help a disliked child find a comfortableniche in the peer group may prove more successful if the child's family is involved, either directly or indirectly.

After describing to the parent what techniques are being tried in the classroom, the teacher may suggest how the parent
can use some of the strategies to help the child play with peers at home or interact with siblings.

For the child whose poor self-concept reflects difficulties in the child's family, parent conferences in which the teacher can offer support may be helpful. Literature on such topics as positive discipline & effective parent-child interaction can be offered on a parent reading shelf or bulletin board.

Parent discussion groups, facilitated by a knowledgeable professional, can provide information about the importance of social competence & guidance strategies that can help parents facilitate their child's development.

Don't skip breakfast: just acceptit!!! Eating breakfast is important to do; plan out your breakfast menu for the week & include nutritious foods only! This will boost your metabolism into full gear instead of telling your
body to start producing fat to store up in case you're in a "starvation mode!" Read more about breakfast by visiting
anxieties 101's lifestyle diet page, or if you're a teen, you can click here to visit teen's scene's - "her diet" page or "his diet" page! you can also go to the changes website to check out more in depth ways to change your present lifestyle diet!!!

In the way we're discussing it, the 2 aren't equivalent.Acceptance doesn't equal approval. i.e. Accepting the fact that there's poverty in the world doesn't mean you approve of poverty. (by the way, it's kathleen here!clicking on the words, "approve" & "approval" will open a new window of opportunity for you to read about other negative needs we may have. We don't
need approval, learn more about being competitive & feeling like you need to be perfect!")

To do an ALERT
you need to first Assess what's causing you anxiety, panic or stress. In this situation what's causing such stress is that you're wanting to changeyour lifestyle & this includes changing your relationship with food, implementing an exercise
program into your life & changing the ways you relate to yourself & your body.

You then need to Ease out of the stressor by developing new rational, realistic, reality based, healthy messages which are affirmationswhich you
can use in self-talk & visualizations which teach you a new way to think about, image & feel about things which are involved in developing a balanced lifestyle.

Once you've identified the new self-talk messages you can Relax by breathing in the new messages & breathing out the old stale ones. As you become more relaxed & less anxious about pursuing your balancedlifestyle changes your can then Take Action to implement the changesneeded.

Once you've "ALERTed" out what the old messages are you then need to change these messages into new healthy self-affirmationswhich you need to then consistently tell yourself for the rest of your life to keep your efforts at balancing your lifestyle on track.

The use of the ALERT system in identifying the unhealthy old self messages will assist you to reduce the anxiety, stress or panic you feel as you begin the process of lifestyle change.

What follows are
sample negative self-scripts which keep people stuck in their unhealthy lifestyles. After each negative message you'll find
sample affirmations which utilize the I am... I can... & the I will... sentence stems.

Put the messages
which you need to hear yourself say on 3 x 5 index cards & keep them handy to repeat to yourselfthroughout the course of every day you need until these new messages become habitual ways of thinking about the change in lifestyle you want
to accomplish.

You can also put
these affirmationson an audio tape in your own voice tolisten to throughout the day so as to help motivate you & to keep you on track in your efforts to establish abalanced lifestyle for yourself.

Old Message:

I shouldn't have to expend so much time, energy
& resources on trying tochanges my lifestyle.

Over the past few years, numerous teachings about unconditional
love&acceptancehave come to ourattention. Many
of us have begun to realize theimportance of being nonjudgmental& accepting people the way they are.

Ideally, we all want to be in a constant state of total unconditional acceptance. However, in your zeal to become 'unconditional'
have you overlooked yourself?

Have you been able to stop judging &accept the inconsistencies that occasionally cause you to fall short of the mark?

When we embark on the 'spiritual' path, we begin judging ourselves (& sometimes judgeothers) as not being 'spiritual'
enough. In the past, some people whipped themselves physically when they judged themselves to have sinned.

In this modern day & age, we, at times, chose instead to whip ourselves mentally & emotionally. How many
of us have internal beliefs that sound like this:

Many of us were raised with an internal belief of being a sinner. We were told that we were born sinners.
With programs like this running the show within, no wonder we are harsh on ourselves. We get 'down' on ourselves for still
not getting it right.

We strive to be unconditionally accepting & when we aren't, we berate ourselves for our behavior. When we don't attain our goals, wejudge ourselves as no good, or at least not good enough.

It's time to fire our self-appointed judge & jury.

We must begin toforgive ourselves for believing we were bad & begin to stop acting as if we're fallen angels. We need to realize that we're only 'fallen' when we choose to believe that we are. If we realize that we're truly good & live according to that belief, things will come into place.

We're emerging from a time of believingourselves to be "Sinners," to knowing we're "Winners," when we live
according to ourinner truth& light.

Unconditional love&acceptance must also reside w/in us & for us. We
must realize that, as with any new skill, it takes time to make it an automatic part of our lives.

i.e., when you began to ride a bike, you probably fell a few times before achieving the rightbalance; when you learned to ski, you didn't slalom down the hill at high speeds
the first few times, etc.

It's the same with learning to release behaviors from our insecure& guilt-ridden past. It's essential to realize that we're like children learning something
new & we needcompassion for our mistakes. I feel that if we were 'perfect', in other words, if we've learned all that this 'school of life' has to teach us, then we wouldn't be here.

By the very fact of our existence on this topsy-turvy planet, we know that we still haven't graduated... we still
have some things to learn. Remember being in grade school? Does a child in grade 3 criticize himself for not knowing everything
that a grade 10 student knows?

That child may
wish s/he had that knowledge, but knows it's not 'her or
his fault' for not yet being at that level. So it is with life. If you're still in grade 3 in the school of life (or grade 6 or 10), be compassionatewith yourself. You still have a ways to go.

As a student, you're expected to make 'mistakes' & to strive to correct them. Guilt, self-afflictedjudgment& punishments aren't required of you. Let that stuff go! They can only hamper you in your movement forward into the light of total love&acceptance. Blessed be the children that we truly are!

COLUMBUS, Ohio - What others think about you may affect your own health & well being. A new study found that college students held in
high esteem by their roommates were happier& had less physical problems
than those who were not liked as much.

The less-favored students had more mental & physical problems, such as low self esteem, depression & illness.

And while researchers in the past have acknowledged that a link exists between social
acceptance & personal health, the jury was out on how the
2 affected each other. According to this study, social acceptance affects mental & physical health more
than health predictssocial acceptance.

"Self esteem & other health factors were hurt if a student lived with someone who disliked him," said Brad Schmidt, a study co -author & an associate
professor of psychology at Ohio State Univ.

The study included 143 undergraduate students & their roommates. Some of the students, 84 women & 59 men, chose
their own roommates, while others were assigned roommates by the university.

Roommates of the participating students filled out a questionnaire in which they were asked how much esteem they had for their roommates (i.e.,
"I see my roommate as a person of worth, at least on an equal basis w/others.")

All students completed the questionnaires twice; the 2nd session took place 3 weeks after the first.

Students who were disliked by their roommates reported more depression, anger, physical illness & lower self esteem. Also, the self esteem of disliked individuals tended to deteriorate during the 3 weeks between questionnaire sessions.

Overall, the findings suggested that social
acceptance during the 1st session was related to a variety
of mental & physical health factors 3 weeks later. But physical health was the only factor that seemed to have an influence
on social acceptance.

"Physical health plays a role in social acceptance, particularly with individuals who don't develop
social affiliations easily," Schmidt said.

"If you're not taking careof yourself initially, you're not going to be attractive to & acceptedby
those around you. And this lack ofacceptance may exacerbate your physical illness."

Many creative artists are uncomfortable with praise and compliments.
We can be so busy judging ourselves harshly that we don't quite know what to do with positive feedback.

We almost
wish people would just "come out and say it," "it" being the negative thing that they're REALLY thinking, just to prove our
negative self-perception.

Instead, when we can learn how to embrace positive feedback and accept compliments graciously,
we open up the door for more positive thoughts and interactions, and we actually start to BELIEVE them.

Then, when
our inner critic starts up again, we can intentionally choose to believe the POSITIVE messages we've been receiving.

Here
are five steps towards accepting compliments graciously.

1. Notice. Begin by noticing what you tend to say when
someone gives you a compliment. Do you minimize it by saying, "Oh, it was nothing", do you argue with it by saying, "No, I
don't look good, I look awful!" or do you find yourself so uncomfortable that you're at a complete loss for words?

2.
Practice. You can learn to accept compliments more graciously. After noticing what you tend to do now, decide how you'd
like to respond the next time you receive a compliment. Then, practice saying your new response (in front of a mirror is best)
until saying it feels natural and sincere.

What to say? A warm and heartfelt, "thank you", coupled with a smile, is
always appropriate and is usually enough. Be cautious of feeling the need to explain, justify, or return a compliment automatically.

3. Pause. When someone pays you a compliment, stop before you respond. This is where change happens –
when we step out of autopilot and try something different. Take a deep breath and remember your wish to accept compliments
more graciously.

4. Turn your attention outwards. Focus on the person who's giving you the compliment. Think
about their intentions. Sometimes our inner critic tells us stories about the person being sarcastic, having some kind of
ulterior motive or not truly meaning what they say. Instead, expect the best and act on the assumption that the person is
sincere.

Focus on being kind and courteous to that person. If you make them feel good by accepting their compliment
with genuine appreciation, they'll remember that and speak up the next time they have something positive to share with you.

Consequently,
if you belittle their words by arguing, minimizing or looking as if they've just insulted you, they'll remember that as well.

5.
Try it from the other side. Another way to get better at accepting compliments is to GIVE more compliments. Notice how
other people receive them. This can improve your relationships greatly, because now you'll be focused more on the other person.
As you're looking for positive things to compliment them on, you'll also be keeping your thoughts more positive overall, and
you'll have less time for worrying and negative thinking.

One of my hobbies has been to invent ideas of what a more ideal world would be like. Perhaps you too imagine what a better world would be like - at least better for you. However,
I live in the world as it is today. I can't change the past & my abilities to change the future are limited.

If we don't accept the limitations of our situation - or of ourselves; then we are choosing to be unhappy. Some of the saddest & most unproductive words we can utter are "what if."

If I'm to behappy,I must learn to accept & love this world as it is, was & will be -not focus on what isn't, wasn't, or can't be.

Every creative act also produces waste & "garbage."Our
bodies take in food & convert that food into energy & into structural parts of our bodies. As part of this natural,
growth process, our bodies also produce waste from that food. Any manufacturing or creative process also produces a certain
amount of waste & garbage.

With every creative idea or action there is also a certain amount of waste or garbage that occurred in its production.
Perhaps we had to make mistakes before we learned the right way to do it, or perhaps doing it produced negative side-effects.

Do you ever develop expectations that you should do something perfectly - with no mistakes or waste? I may make mistakes & I may make things worse. No matter how hard I try,I will produce a certainamount ofwaste & garbage.

To be happy it's necessary to accept &forgivemistakes - my own & the mistakes of others. Otherwise,
we choose guilt & resentment over love & happiness. The only way to produce no waste is to think or do nothing. However, that would be the biggest waste of all!

Our limited time on earth. One client who came in because of persistent
depression & frequent suicidal thoughts said, "The religions teach you that there is life after death, but I don't believe it. What good is life if it is so short? You go thru a few years of living, then you die. I might as well die
now."

His argument was like the fool who wished he had $100,000, but only had $100. He threw away the $100 because he thought, "It's not worth anything." The wise man who had $100 said, "Since I only have $100, I must spend each dollar carefully & get the most for it - for each dollar is precious."

There are different "Levels" Of Reactions

Our thoughts consist of different levels. At a lower (more specific, sensory, externally tied)
level, we may react negatively to negative situations. However, we can overcome that initial negative reaction by viewing the whole situation from a higher, philosophical level.

Viewing it from a higher perspective can enable me to accept the situation & view it
more constructively. This new view can help me feel better. We can use this method to rise above even the most painful situations. Our Higher Selves & constructive philosophies (or
religious views) provide the beliefs for this higher perspective.

Some events - such as death & taxes - either are inevitable or are a threat to all of us. Some of our most feared events might include poverty, failure, prolonged periods of pain, exposure to cruelty, illness, loss of loved ones, serious financial reverses &
death. You may wonder what value there is in even thinking of such terrible things.

Why not just wait until we face poverty or death before thinking about them? If we consider such terrible things now, aren't we just bringing up a lot of bad feelings unnecessarily? Isn't this negativethinking?

The strategy of avoiding these issues as long as possible may seem to work. However, even if we don't face a severe threat often, we still get less severe "reminders" that stir up fears of these unacceptables. My client's little reminders were stories about drugs & violence - what are yours?

If you live by the avoidance strategy, you'll live a life full of little fears. If one of your worst fears does come true, you may be overwhelmed emotionally because you were totally unprepared. Facing your worst fearsnow immunizes you against all fears from those sources. It gives you earthquake insurance against both the big one that could hit anytime
& the daily tremors of its reminders.

Once we learn to feel at peace about our "unacceptables," then we can feel calm about almost anything. During a workshop I gave at a
professional convention, a woman, Genevieve, told this story. She had been in a severe automobile accident & she was put
in a full body cast.

She was totally immobilized for more than a year & couldn't use her legs, arms, or hands. It wasn't even possible
to read or watch television. How would you feel? How would you cope with this situation for a year? Could you be happy?

Lonely people are often terrified of being alone & don't know how to make themselves happy. Yet, Genevieve learned how to be happy in these extreme circumstances. At first, she didn't know how she would cope with being so cut off from normal
sources of interest & happiness. Then, she heard a true story that helped her cope.

A Vietnam prisoner-of-war was confined for over a year in a mud hut so small he couldn't even stand up. But he chose
to overcome his initial feelings of depression & resentment. Instead of thinking of himself as a helpless victim, he decided to take mental control of the situation.

Instead of viewing the mud hut as his cell & his guards as his captors, he viewed the hut as his home & viewed
the guards as his guests; i.e., he'd save bits of his meager rice ration. Then periodically he offered the rice to the guards,
whom he treated as guests in his home. He found happiness in the mud hut by living according to hisbeliefs - not theirs.

Genevieve realized that the source of happiness was in her mind - not in the external world she was so isolated from. She overcame boredom by generating interesting & lovingthoughts. When Genevieve had guests in her hospital room, she focused her attention on helping them become happier.

She gave so much that her small daughter once said, "Mommy, it isn't fair that you cheer everyone else up - you're the one who is sick." Her daughter was too young to understand.

She immersed herself in thoughts about her life & her future. She changed many of her basic beliefs & values. During her year in the cast, she changed her life in many ways. Genevieve decided to pursue her "impossible dream" of getting a doctorate & a job
in counseling - goals that she has since accomplished.

Before the cast she had low self-esteem; afterward she loved herself & was confident about the future. Before the cast she was shy, timid & fearful; afterward she was outgoing & assertive. How well did she adjust to being in this full body cast for over a year?

It may be time for you to face your worst possible fears. If you can develop a way of viewing them (or planning for them) so that you know how you can be happydespite being in that situation, then you'll be set free from those worst fears. Genevieve said, "Now I know that I can overcome almost anything. If
I could behappy in that situation, I can behappy in almost any situation."

Once
you've faced your worst fears & successfully overcome them -in your mind; then you can say confidently, "Now I know that I can overcome almost anything. If I could be happy in that situation, I can be happy in almost any situation."

The existentialist philosophers & psychologists recognized that there are certain types of major problems in life that we all know will happen to us. Death is
one of those unavoidables. Have you ever had a strong experience with death - such as almost
dying yourself, losing someone you loved, or fearing the loss of someone you loved?

Have you ever given much thought about your own death? How would you feel if your health or life was threatened for a long time? If dwelling upon any of these topics is uncomfortable for you, then you haven't dealt constructively enough with the issue of death.

If we can learn to deal with our fear of death, then perhaps we can use this as a model to deal with any negative event. Each different religion makes dealing with death
a central theme. What's your view of death - especially your own death? How do you feel when you think of the possibility of dying?

We don't need to view death as good in order to rise above our negativefeelings about it. I view it as one of the "ultimate bads" - we can't be healthy & happy if we're dead. So how do we develop a view of death that helps us deal with the death of someone close or our own potential death?

People have developed many different views that help them accept death or feel better about it. Each person must find a view that's consistent with their other beliefs - such as their religious or scientific beliefs. Some hope they'll go to a better place after dying, some believe in reincarnation, some believe they'll live on thru their children & their children & some focus on their accomplishments lasting beyond them.

A view of death is emotionally effective only to the degree that we can truly believe it. However, we can create our own image that's a partial solution based on our own reasoning. Even if
we can't know that it's true, we can hope that it's true. Don't underestimate the power of hope.Hope is a force that goes beyond belief. In many cases, hope can ultimately create reality as well as reflect it.

I've struggled with my fear of death from many different philosophical & religious perspectives. Currently, I focus on my belief in life as a gift & my appreciation of every moment of life. I'd like to live forever because I love life. I live a healthy lifestyle to extend my life as long as possible. But I know that I'll die someday &
want to have an acceptingattitude about it.

Ihope for future awareness in some life form I don't currently understand. No matter how likely or unlikely that hope may be, I can still hope to be conscious at some point in the future. My knowledge is too limited to know how that could happen, but this hopecomforts me & helps me accept death.

Another great fear of mine is that my wife, Sherry might die. (She fears the same about my death.) However, we both know
that we're each responsible for our own happiness & have the philosophy of life & life skills to be happy - even if the other should die. That knowledge comforts us. It also helps give us confidence that we could overcome any loss. That confidence gives us a sense of security that radiates thru our entire life & affects even daily "little fears."

I've talked with many college students who feared losing financial support upon graduation & feared not finding a job. I've talked with other college students who were leaving home (often after a conflict) & had no means of support. I've talked with people who were leaving a marriage or a partner who'd been supporting them & were terrified of not being able to financially take care of themselves.

Often, these people have a real fear of being homeless & on the streets. Or they may fear drastic changes in lifestyle which seem totally unacceptable: having no car, living in a small room or rundown apartment, having no money for entertainment, or not being
able to afford the type of social life they were used to. Or perhaps their fear is working in a job which is far below their potential.

Remember, the more confidentwe are that we can find routes to happiness in a certain scenario, the less fear of the scenario we'll have. When I work with people facing poverty or restricted lifestyles, then we look at
what their basic needs & values are.

We look at activities they can still enjoy that are free or inexpensive - reading, walking, enjoying nature, visiting,
watching TV, helping others, sports, listening to music, "personal sex," or thinking. Then the person develops a plan for what he or she'd actually do if that scenario were to become a reality.

For example one client couldn't sleep because he was hopelessly in debt, was making far less money than he was spending & couldn't pay his rent. He had tremendous anxiety because his mind kept going in circles. Generating this anxiety was a fear of being homeless.

He kept repeating, "I don't know what I'll do, I don't know what I'll do." His lack of clear routes
to happiness created the anxiety.

We
explored his fear in detail & he planned what he'd do if he couldn't afford a place to live. He could rent a storage unit & move his
furniture & extra things into it. He could live in his car until he found a job & saved enough money to pay for a
less expensive room.

He
thought living in his car would be like "camping out"- a much more positive way of looking at his situation. Immediately, he felt much better. "What a relief." Instead of viewing "homelessness" as some sort of death, he actually chose "homelessness" until he got his finances
in order.

A few weeks later when I saw him again, he'd found a job, had a room & was financially stable again. He said his
experience living in his car hadn't been bad at all. He said, "Being homeless wasn't nearly as bad as the fear of being homeless."

Every day there are thousands of negative events occurring all over the world - people are abused, mistreated, sick & dying. If I choose, I could focus on these events & feel miserable every minute of my life. Many of us live our lives focusing on those negative events or others closer to home.

If we really care about others, how else can we react? One alternative is to ignore these events. I know people who'll never watch a news program or read a newspaper because of so much negative news. I can appreciate their efforts to draw boundaries & screen out a certain amount of negative inputs. That can be a partial solution to the problem.

However, we can't completely screen out all of the negative news of the world. To do so would cause us to be become hermits & turn away from responsible involvement
in the world. One result can be like a woman I met who was retired. She lived in a small apartment & constricted her world
more & more until she became afraid of almost everything outside the safe haven of her apartment.

Then she gradually became suspicious of her neighbors too. The more she constricted her world, the more suspicious & frightened she became. Constriction & fear became mutually reinforcing until she reached an isolated, almost paranoid state. Avoiding our fears & constricting our world isn't the answer to overcoming our fears.

Do you ever feel guilty for feeling good when someone else is feeling bad? Does part of you feel like you should suffer after watching all the "bad news" on TV? If you visit a sick friend,
is it better to be upset so they know you care or to be in a good mood to help them feel better? It's possible to care about the other, show concern & feel good. The combination may help cheer them up.

Many of us have learned that "If we care about someone who's feeling bad, we should feel bad too." We've learned to measure our degree of caring by how badly we feel when the other hurts. According to this mutual misery philosophy, the more you suffer when I'm suffering, the more you must care about me. If, on the other hand, you feel happy when I'm miserable, then you must not care about me & you're a "bad," "uncaring" person.

The logical conclusion of the mutual misery philosophy is that both people will end in dramatic expressions of suffering. You may have witnessed people
who suffered together dramatically & created beautiful misery together to convince everyone how much they care. Is that what we want? Wouldn't it be better if caring could be expressed more simply & honestly & both people could end feelinghappy?

There's a philosophy other than the "mutual misery" approach. I call it the mutual happiness approach. In this approach we don't have to prove that we care for one another by our own suffering. We show our caring by our gifts of understanding, comfort, or whatever it takes to help usboth feel happier.

A student of mine, who had been gravely ill, recently read this section. She said that people visiting sick
people needed to understand how important this section is. When she had been in the hospital, she disliked having people visit her who were too upset
about the seriousness of her condition.

They not only increased the "gloom" of the situation; in addition she said, "I wanted to cheerthem up; but I was so sick, I felt a tremendous burden." On the other hand, she looked forward to seeing
people who were happy & cheerful - she felt no burden & their cheerfulness helped her feel better. Just what the Doctor ordered!

I realized that being honest with myself isn't really so simple. I knew that I wanted to be totally honest with myself, but I realized that most situations in life are ambiguous. The truth is usually not so clear. If a situation is ambiguous, there are 2 types of errors I can make: the 1st is to
be too optimistic & the 2nd is to be too pessimistic.

However, I decided right then that I'd rather err in the direction of feeling too positive throughout my life than err in the direction of feeling too negative.

What if at the end of my
life, I found that I had been toopessimistic?

I'd have spent my life being
unnecessarily depressed& wasted all that worry & misery. How sad!

Our view of an ambiguous situation can profoundly affect our emotions & our actions. A sudden change in our interpretation can have dramatic effects on those emotions & our behavior. It can also dramatically affect others around us.

A 22-year-old client came in because she'd been angry with her father for months. She thought that he was being "totally selfish," "no longer really cares about what happens to me," & "doesn't want me around any more."

Their
communication had all but stopped, they'd constantly bicker about little things & it had gotten so bad that sometimes
she'd purposely do things to "get even."

It
did appear that her father had been doing many things in which he was reducing contact & support of her - with no explanation. However, after hearing in detail about the history of their relationship, it seemed to me that
her father really did care about her.

I noticed that she'd been fueling her own anger all this time by focusing only upon her negative interpretation of his behavior. I asked her why she thought her father was doing these things. The only thing she could think of was that he never really cared for her as much as she had always thought. No wonder she felt so hurt & angry! I suggested a more positive interpretation of his actions.

Let's start by
assuming that he really loved her. Suppose that he thought she might want more independence & want to be treated more as an equal adult. She seemed interested.

After the Christmas break, she had returned from a visit home & was elated! She said that everything was fine now.
She'd talked with her father & had discussed this issue in a more positive, understanding manner.

She'd found that his own explanation was similar to the one we had discussed; he was just
trying to treat her more like an adult.

They developed a completely new & more positiveunderstanding beyond anything she'd thought possible only a few weeks before. Had we worked some miracle?

Kindergarteners' Acceptance
of the Social Behavior of a Child with Special Needs by: Colleen Finegan,
Wright State University

Abstract

Positive relationships between children are a concern in inclusionary classrooms. This naturalistic study examines the relationship between children's perceptions
of their peer's capabilities&
its significance in making friendshipchoices.

It was found that young children utilize verbal & non - verbal language skills as the basis of decisions aboutfriendship.

Friendshipsbetween children with & without identified
special needs have been an increasingconcernof parents & teachers as more children with specialneeds are included in regular educational classroom settings.

One of the goals of inclusion, especially among younger children, is to foster positive social interaction among children with/& without specialneeds. (Peck, Odom & Bricker (1993)
describe social interaction in the preschool classroom as "the direct exchange of words, gestures, toys, or materials between
2 or more children.")

They viewed social interaction as
a:

chain of social behaviors
in which social partners contribute different behaviors or links in a chain. The first behavior in a social interaction chain
is often called a social initiation & subsequent behaviors in the chain are called social responses.

These behaviors are bi-directional or reciprocal in nature, in that
different partners in social interactions direct social behaviors to the other partner, who in turn directs social behaviors
back to the original child (p. 41).

Rewarding friendships&successfulsocial interaction
have been documented as especially important to children with specialneeds. Negative experiences in social interaction with peers in early childhood are related to later emotional & mental health problems (Kemple,
1991).

Children with disabilities who're placed in regular preschools & experience social rejectionby peers without disabilities, tend to "display
moresocial isolation, place more demands on teacher time, are less attentive& are more often the recipients of negative behaviors from normally developing children" (Hundert
& Houghton, 1992, p. 311).

Despite the occasional warmhearted stories of a typically developing child asking a peer in a wheelchair or a friend
with Down Syndrome to a birthday party, teachers & parents often hear reportsof isolation, exclusion &rejection.

These can also have adverse effects on higher mental functions. When children have limited opportunity to or facility in watching, imitating & interacting positively with others, the development of higher social, cultural & psychological skills may be affected.

Limitedsocial experiences also may hinder
language development, which, in turn, leads to a diminished level of linguistic interaction since children have less to talk
about. This lower level of languagedevelopment completes the critical circle by restricting & therefore affecting social interaction.

In spite of the emphasis on the benefits of inclusion for both students with & without disabilities, formal &
informal research continues to report that children with disabilities placed in regular preschools often experience social rejection by peers without disabilities.

Diamond (1994) reported that children without disabilities are likely to view peers with disabilities
as less competent in the cognitive, language & physical domains than their peers without disabilities.

Children with disabilities are less likely to be chosen as "well-liked" playmates (Devoney, Guralnick & Rubin, 1974; Diamond, LeFurgy & Blass, 1993; Guralnick
& Groom, 1987) . Children with disabilities are more
likely to be described as "isolated" & more often participate in solitary as opposed to cooperative
play (Guralnick, 1990; Odom & McEvoy,
1988; Snyder, Appolloni & Cooke, 1977) .

Young children with specialneeds, it's noted, engage in less frequent & less sophisticated social
play than do their typically developing peers (Bredekamp
& Rosegrant, 1992).

It'simportanttonote, however, that much of the information available on peer interaction between
children with/& without specialneeds is based on informal measures of feelings & attitudes of the typically developing children.

e.g.,a child might be asked whether or not she'd be willing to
include a little boy who uses a wheelchair in a game of Candyland. A little boy might be asked if he would include another
little boy with visual handicaps in the kitchen center.

Consequently, the answers of the children (self-reporting measures) would be used to assume
the children's attitudes regarding their peers with specialneeds. Self-reporting is generally thought of as a weak measure of behavior & attitudes.

Thus, the conclusions reached are based on "hypothetical interaction" between the children with/& without specialneeds. Research results based on formal assessment, measuring children'sactual interaction would
be more reliable.

Diamond (1994) suggests that the results of informal assessment of a peer's competence are limited because the respondent may not have been presented with the opportunity to interact with a child with a disability.

In addition, a child without a disability may not be inclined to choose the peer with a disability as a friend &
therefore the typically developing child has little experience on which to base his or her opinion.

Research Question

Diamond (1994) suggests that the relationship between children's perceptions of the capabilities of their peers & significance of such information in making friendship choices should be studied closely.

It's been suggested that the difficulties experienced by children with specialneeds in participating in positive social interaction & in establishing friendships may be the result of the tendency for these children to be slower in
acquiring the skills & knowledge to interact successfully with other children.

Direct intervention may be beneficial for children to increase the likelihood of successful integration into the regular classroom. It would be necessary to delineate the specific skills needed in order to begin appropriate support. Therefore, the following research question was proposed:

"On what basis do
young children in a classroom setting make the determination of desirability of friendship with their peers?"

Case History

A 6 year old girl, Mindy (a pseudonym) was enrolled in a kindergarten class in February of her kindergarten
year. The family had just moved into the neighborhood & although her daughter hadn't attended kindergarten previously,
mother wanted Mindy to start school then.

It was reported that there were no transfer records from previous pre-school programs & medical records were generic
in nature, so no information was gained thru that channel. It was evident from the child's physical appearance that she had
Down Syndrome, yet it would have been unwise & insensitive to assume that the mother was aware of this fact.

It would have also been illegal to presume that just because the child appeared to have Down Syndrome, that she needed any special placement or services other than the regular kindergarten classroom placement, perhaps with some special services.

Mindy was assigned to an afternoon kindergarten class with an exceptionally effective & understanding teacher. The teacher, Ms. A. was informed of the dilemma in which the school had been placed & was advised
to do the best that she could do with Mindy until the proper steps were initiated.

The principal assured the teacher she would be given support, if needed.

Classroom Environment

There were 23 kindergartners enrolled in Ms. A's class, 11 boys & 13 girls ranging in age from 5 yrs., 7 months
to 7 yrs., 3 months. Ms. A. presented herself as a creative & understanding teacher, who respectedeach
child as an individual & who was supportive of the developmentally appropriate curriculum in the classroom.

Children sat at 6 large tables, identified by color; interest centers were located around the room & continually
updated with objects & stimulating activities that would spark the children's curiosity.

Children's artwork hung from the ceiling & covered the walls in the hall & music was often played as the children
worked. Books & stories on tape were available at a variety of reading levels from board books to chapter books.

Ms. A. incorporated the approaches of whole language & language experience, using units or themes to "teach across
the curriculum", in her kindergarten classroom. Children were free to interact with any of the other children at their assigned table while seated as long as it was in an appropriate
manner.

Formal instruction was short, interesting & active & children were allowed to move around the room in a manner
that showed respectfor the activities
&needsof other children. While working in centers, the children wereencouragedto interact
with the other children in the center.

Since this was most of the children's first year of formal education, it wasn't possible to ascertain the degree to
which the kindergartners had interacted with children with specialneeds in the past.

Ms. A was
certified in early childhood education & had received no formal training in special education. She stated that, as most
experienced teachers, she had previously taught children with mild specialneeds.

Description of Interaction

Mindy was welcomed as a new student in the classroom. A "buddy" was assigned to show Mindy where & how to store
her personal belongings & the location of classroom supplies.

Mindy's buddy also showed her where the bathroom, office & cafeteria were located, how to return a book to the library,
what to do in the computer & science labs, etc.

Mindy was transported to school on a bus with several of the other children in her room.

Although Ms. A. allowed for an abundance of physical movement during classtime, remaining seated in a chair during tablework
& sitting on the floor during group time was a difficult task for Mindy.

Ms. A.gentlyreminded all of the children to sit on their bottoms & verbally
praised responsive & appropriate behavior.Recognizingthat the attention span of most 6 year olds islimited, group activities were kept short & included opportunities for
verbal & physical responses.

Mindy appeared to have difficulty focusing on the teacher during group time & was therefore unprepared to respond
as the other children did. Mindy displayed other inappropriate behaviors such as taking off her clothes, throwing herself
on the floor, running around the room & knocking supplies off the tables.

Mrs. A instituted several interventions to help Mindy adjust to her new classroom & to help her become familiar
with newexpectations, but these seemed only mildly effective.

The intervention assistance team was convened & a diagnostic evaluation was recommended for Mindy.

It was decided that an aide be provided for Mindy in the classroom during the period of time that Mindy was participating
in a multi-factored evaluation. In addition, the aide accompanied Mindy on the bus ride to & from school, in the classroom
& to music & physical education.

It'simportantto note that the teacher didn't explain to the children why
there was an extra person to help on the bus & in the classroom.

Extra adults were commonplace in Ms. A.'s room, as she had instituted an active volunteer program.

When the children questioned Mindy's behavior, the teacher explained that Mindy was getting used to new rules in a new
classroom. Ms. A. was very respectfulof the individual needs of all children & continued to hold the same expectations & interact with Mindy as she did with all the other children in her class.

After the multi-factored evaluation was completed, it was decided that Mindy'sneedswould best be served by placement in a self-contained classroom in
another local school. This placement was effective immediately. She had been in the kindergarten classroom a total of 5 weeks.

3 days after Mindy left, Ms. A. hadn't, as yet, given the class any explanation of the whereabouts of Mindy, but planned
to do so at the start of the following week.

Method

As a volunteer, this author had been working individually w/the children in the hallway on a literacy project on a bi-weekly
basis. Therefore, rapport had been established between this author & the children. As each of the 21 children present
that day completed the project, specific questions were asked in a conversational manner.

The author attempted to retain an informal atmosphere in questioning about Mindy, as would be commonplace if the child
were relating information about other students who might be absent that day & therefore not coming into the hall to complete
their literacy project.

The responses that the students offered were recorded as the children answered the questions. Recording their responses
didn't appear todisturbthem, because the literacy project in which they had just participated
required the recording of their answers as well.

The questions asked of the children & their responses follow. Where appropriate, the children's responses are used
tosupportprevious research on the
topic of social interaction between children who're typically developing & those who're atypically developing.

Results

15 questions were asked of the children as they colored or drew or completed the project that was provided in their individual
packets during a literacy project.

1.Where is Mindy?

6 students replied that they didn't know

2 stated that she was sick

13 said that she had gone to a different
school

2.Of the students who answered that Mindy had changed schools,
the question was asked"Why did she go to a different school?"

2 students answered that
she had moved again

11 stated one of the following:

"They had her in the wrong school"

"She couldn't behave on the bus & she
had to go to a school where they had seat belts on the bus"

"She kept running around the room"

"She did stuff she wasn't suppose [sic] to"

One boy explained that she had to "go to
a school where the teachers could train her to act better."

(This boy's mother was a volunteer in the kindergarten classroom & his response might indicate that
he & his mother might have discussed Mindy's move.)

3.With the 13 students who said she had changed schools, the
author acted surprised & commented something similar to"Gee, I didn't know that. Do you miss her?"

A couple of students just
looked inquisitively at the author, making no response

One student responded "kinda"

10 indicated that they didn't

4.To the 10 students who indicated that they didn't miss Mindy,
the question "Why?" was directed.

Another little fellow, who'd
recently spent time with the principal, offered to take Mindy to the principal & added "It makes me be good"

A little girl had an idea
on how to help Mindy keep her clothes on; she suggested that Mindy's mom buy her overalls with "snapson them that are too hard to open". "That would do it", she
added.

The suggestions made by Mindy's peerssupportsthe findings of Diamond (1994) which indicates that young children suggest the same type of problem-solving
strategies to help children with disabilities as they'd to help children without identifiable disabilities.

10.The question was asked"How old was Mindy?"

Student responses indicated
that they thought that Mindy was either 4 or 5 years old.

All the kindergarten
respondents were, by this time of the year, either 6 or 7 years old.

All the studentsjudged Mindy to be younger than they, although based on her stature, it would have been logical for thekindergartners to judge her to be older than they.

When asked"Why do you think that?", all the children indicated one of the following
behaviors as being responsiblefor theirjudgmentthat Mindy was only 4 or 5 years old:

These were all behavioral reasons for assuming Mindy was younger than they, not academic reasons. No one said of Mindy,

"She didn't know her letters"

"She couldn't color neatly"

This suggests that the children weren'tjudging Mindy's academic abilities & thus that the classroom was likely
developmentally appropriate in nature & that the emphasis & measure ofsuccessweren't on academics.

Referring to the answers to questions 9 & 10, Mindy's peers gave the fact that Mindy was "little & didn't know
any better" as the reason that Mindy displayed inappropriate behaviors.

Thissupportsthe findings of Diamond (1993) who noted that
young children often refer to immaturity when explaining the inappropriate behavior of their peers with disabilities. Young
children are veryawareof immature language & other behaviors associated with language
delay (Diamond, 1993).

11.Of all of the children the question was asked"Who
was the woman who helped Mindy out sometimes?

Many of the children indicated that they didn't know

6 of them said that the woman (the aide) was Mindy's mother
(1 child added that she came to school to
make Mindy behave)

1 of the children said that the woman was another teacher.

12.The question was asked"Who were Mindy's best friends?"

Some children shrugged their shoulders

7 said she didn't have any

5 responded that Lisa was Mindy's best friend (Lisa & Mindy rode the same bus, but didn't live near each other).

13.To the question"Why didn't she have any best friends,
the 7 children said of Mindy that :

"She was just
little & didn't know any better"

"She didn't
say hi or talk to us"

"She didn't
play with anyone"

1 child said "She sat next to me, but she didn't look at me"

the child who sat next to Mindy at table responded "Shewouldn't share"

When asked"What did Lisa do to
be Mindy's best friend?"

the 5 children said that Lisa was kindto Mindy & had helped Mindy find the right
room when she got off the bus

3 children noted that Lisa "had let her" sit next to her at storytime

Lisa was asked"Why do you think that the other children thought that you were Mindy's best friend?"

Lisa answered that"Someone needed to help Mindy out, because she was a new kid."

The author responded that it was very kind of her to invite Mindy to sit by her. Lisa responded that she told Mindy she could sit by her, but that "she
never stayed put, anyhow". Lisa also mentioned that Mindy didn't know how to play in housekeeping, she just took the dolls
& ran around the room.

She added "Even when I didn't chase her, she kept running...she didn't even care".

14. How could you have been a good friend to Mindy?was the next question asked.

Several children indicated that they didn't know

2 said that they didn't want to be a friend to Mindy

5 indicated that when she acted like she was supposed to, they'd be her friend

1 child advised that when Mindy learned to talk, then she would have lots of friends

2 children observed that when Mindy grew up or got older, they could be friends

1 little girl said that if it was her classroom job to be Mindy's buddy, that she
would help Mindy & would let Mindy sit by her

15."If Mindy came back to your room,
what would you do?" was the final question asked of the
kindergartners.

"Nothing" was a statement made by several children

3 said "Try to help her be good".

"How?"

"By showing her how a kindergartner
should act".

Another child said "I'd tell her to sit by me at my table".

Discussion

The research question examined was: On what basis do young children in a classroom setting make the determination ofdesirabilityof friendship with their peers?

Based on the answers to the informal questions asked of Mindy's kindergarten peers, the following conclusions may be
made:

These kindergartnersjudgedMindy'sdesirabilityas a friend based on her behavior rather than by her common placement,
interests, physical size or appearance.

On the basis of on Mindy's peers & supportedby other research, it is
evident that several skills must be developed prior to inclusion & continually reinforced once inclusion has taken place:

These communicative skills could be reinforced among children in the inclusionary classroom as well, for the benefit
of all children:

Eye contact:Research results by Raver-Lampman
(1985)whichsupportedeye-gaze
training in children with visual handicaps, indicated that peoplejudgeothers as morefriendly&capable, when eye contact is made with them.

Therefore, young childrenneedto be encouragedto fix their
gaze on the speaker & to look at others to whomthey're speaking.

Likewise, children without disabilities might be encouraged to tell a child to look at them whenthey're speaking.

Verbal greeting &
conversational skills: Diamond (1994) found that children with disabilities were viewed as less competent
than were children without disabilities in the areas of language.

This supportsthe findings of this qualitative research, which shows that language as related
to social skills & interactional skills was used tojudgethe subject's rating as a friend or as a peerdesirablewith whom to play.

Batache (1993), in reviewing research of social skills,
consistently documented interactional language skills including verbal greetings:

o ("Hi!"), social initiations

o("Can I play?") inviting skills

o("Want to play w/me")

general conversational skills
as critical to a child'ssocial success. Mindy's peers pointed out that she didn't talk with them or respond
to their queries or communicate with them, even when they happened to be involved in a group play situation (such as in the kitchen center).

Therefore, young childrenneedto be encouragedto use social
language in greeting others & to make theirneeds& wants known by using language.

Play & Sharing Skills:Mindy was
observed to spend less time in interactional play than did her peers, whichsupportsGuralnick's (1990) conclusion that children with specialneedsoften engage in solitary play.

Batsche (1993) indicates that play skills, including the
ability to play near or with another child, are crucial to a child'ssocial success.

Adequate role-taking skills such that a child is able to identify with the feelings or perceptions of a peer, are also recommended by Batsche as a pre-requisite skill for successful inclusion.

Practical application of this naturalistic study would indicate that the pre-school youngster with specialneeds should experience many opportunities to learn, observe & practice interactional skills, both verbal &
physical.

A fully-inclusionary, language-rich classroom with caregivers or teachers who're committed to providing a language-centered classroom with a developmentally-appropriate, individually-appropriate curriculum
would be the ideal environment for young children with & for that matter, even without identified specialneeds.

Parental & caregiver expectations for appropriate social interactions should be maintained at as high a level as possible to help all young children
develop those skills that will help insure friendship &acceptancein
the kindergarten classroom.

Forlin, C. & Cole,
P. (1994). Attributions and the social acceptance and integration of children with mile intellectual disabilities. Australian
and New Zealand Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 19 (1), 11-23.

Guralnick, M. (1990).
Social Competence and early intervention. Journal of Early Intervention, 14, 3-14.

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